Brush With History

Published: February 8, 1999 12:00 AM

When William H. "Pop" Mills called on clients, he didn't just bring a few sample brushes, he brought the whole kit and caboodle -- all 200 pounds of it.

WILLIAM H. "POP" MILLS' travels as a Wooster Brush Co. salesman in the early 1900s always included his leather trunk, filled with about 200 pounds worth of samples. Mike Schenk photo

Mills' territory as a Wooster Brush Co. salesman in the early 1900s took him to various parts of the southern United States, always with his leather trunk.

"People expected to see live product back then," said advertising assistant Sharon Dentz. "Now they're satisfied with a catalog."

Mills' substantial leather trunk, filled with shelves of brushes with their original paper wrappers, now has a permanent home in the company's museum, located next to a portion of the factory.

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Many of the items from the company's 148-year history had been saved but were scattered. Mills' sample case had been kept in the personnel manager's office for years.

Advertising manager Bob Ricksecker said the company's seventh president, Stan Welty Jr., who retired in May, spearheaded the idea for a museum.

"He always wanted to have a museum, a central repository for all the things we have of our history," he said, adding that it is important for a company to remain aware of its past while also looking toward the future.

When plans for the museum moved forward last year, Dentz said items were taken out of storage spots throughout the building. Employees also donated items saved throughout the years.

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"We couldn't believe how much ... we had in storage," she said.

In addition to Pop Mills' trunk, the room contains glass-covered cases featuring painting brushes dating back to the company's beginnings in 1851 all the way up to the present day.

Bundles of hog bristles brought back during buying trips to China attest to the type of materials used in the early 1900s.

Nylon brushes made their appearance in the 1950s, finished using a process known as "exploded tip." While hog bristles have natural split ends, which make for better painting, synthetic materials must be mechanically altered.

Advertising materials housed in the museum herald the advantages of that process as well many other innovations throughout the years.

A time clock dating back to 1909 rests on one of the museum walls and is still in working order, complete with a "ding" when the handle is pulled.

Walter D. Foss, the company's president from 1879 to 1938, was somewhat of a collector, having acquired a variety of items from the day, including name tags from trade shows, various political pins and ribbons from the company's annual picnics.

A workman's bench from the early years of the company features tools used by craftsmen in making brushes by hand, including a scale to measure the correct amount of bristles. Accurate measuring was so important, Ricksecker said, that bonuses were given for adherence to the weight guidelines.

Ricksecker said the temperature-controlled room contains spotlights with ultraviolet filters to prevent fading of the items. "We're trying to preserve what we have," he said.

In the future, Ricksecker said the company hopes to display more photos and other paper archives. "Most of what we have is not on display," he said.

Dentz said several employees toured the museum when it opened in April, even requesting that it be open several days a month for a few hours each time. The museum also is a stop during public tours of the company.

While in the museum, she said present employees often look for relatives in old photographs, while a past employee might see a product he or she remembers.